Hospitalist Department Head

Job Description

Reporting to the Zone Medical Executive Director and working within a co-leadership model with an Administrative Co-Lead, the Zone Department Head provides strategic and operational planning and service leadership, in collaboration with relevant administrative Department leaders. 

The Hospitalist Department Head would have authority over and be responsible for the clinical care of patients within the zone department, including the scheduling of medical staff members and ensuring appropriate clinical coverage is provided; and in particular ensuring that all department members are compliant with Nova Scotia Health Policies, the Medical Staff Bylaws, and the Medical Staff Rules and Regulations of the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

The successful applicant can work at any site in the Western Zone.

The Hospitalist Department Head will:

• hold responsibility for the administrative functioning of the department. He/she will hold regular department meetings and provide the Zone Medical Executive Director with meeting minutes
• work with Hospitalist Site Leads, Medical Site Leads and operational leadership as required to ensure service continuity is maintained through the Department and that key patient flow objectives are met. Such oversight would include overseeing scheduling practices, including but not limited to vacation requests, on-call scheduling, and locum utilization.
• sit as an active member of Zone Medical Advisory Committee (ZMAC) where they will: 
  • advise the ZMAC on the quality of care and treatment provided to the zone department’s patients
  • advise the ZMAC on the fulfillment of teaching and research responsibilities within the zone department
  • participate in developing, reporting on and overseeing the zone department’s objectives, planning, budgeting, resource allocation and utilization
  • make recommendations on physician resource needs of the zone department, including the number and type of physicians needed, after consulting with the Zone Medical Executive Director, the VP Medicine, and the Medical Site Leads
• hold responsibility for organization and implementation for the clinical and academic activities of the department, including ensuring overall alignment and support of NSHA organization and system priorities. This includes active monitoring of standards, quality, and utilization of resources of the department in the zone
• work with co-lead, responsible for developing and implementing a plan focused on improving access and flow for the zone, including community hospitals and cross facility transfers
• attend meetings of the Access and Flow Network Council and contributes to the Network by sharing local context and by participating in the development of strategies, policies and procedures that promote increased access and flow of patients
• ensure the continual maintenance and enforcement of professional standards within the department and to implement quality assurance and improvement within the zone department
• address and resolve medical staff issues, including those involving respectful workplace and interpersonal matters and where required oversee complaint and discipline management for all department members
• attend relevant committee meetings as assigned by the Zone Medical Executive Director
• provide co-leadership along with the Zone administrative director of the zone department for strategic and operational planning and budgeting
• monitor the performance and effectiveness of the medical staff members of the zone department and act on issues identified as may be required
• review the performance of zone department members and provide performance management where required, at least annually
• coordinate medical students and residents in the Zone, including the supervision of resident's education requirement where applicable
• support the research agenda within the department
• participate in any clinical services planning for the Zone/NSHA
• work collaboratively with the Zone Medical Executive Director and Medical Site Leads to leads recruitment/retention for the department for the Zone, ensuring that new hire and onboarding processes are completed with support from the Specialty Site Lead as required
• participate in Leadership development

Qualifications

• MD, licensable in Nova Scotia 
• 3-5 years' experience as a medical department member with experience in engaging, mentoring and empowering teams and stakeholders in a collaborative, participative manner

Additional Information

Practicing in Nova Scotia

Physicians in Nova Scotia provide fulfilling patient care which embraces family life, professional development and community involvement. That's what makes practicing medicine in Nova Scotia unique. Physicians are increasingly attracted to practices that offer team-based care to their patients and allow them to consult with their peers. The size and scale of Nova Scotia allows for better connections across the health care system. Your practice of medicine and your life is richer here. Nova Scotia is more than medicine. 

Building a Diverse Workforce

The Physician Recruitment Team at Nova Scotia Health lives and works in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. We are dedicated to equity, diversity, inclusion, and truth and reconciliation, and we are working to support medical communities that are reflective of and responsive to the diverse populations they serve in Nova Scotia. We welcome physicians from diverse backgrounds and experiences to join us in building healthier, more equitable communities across the province.